Saving Endangered Crafts: Introducing Heritage NL's Newest Batch of Mentor-Apprentice Participants

Mentor and apprentice pair Jennifer Morgan and Virginia Stoddart in Jennifer's printing studio. 

From birch brooms to beading, traditional skills at risk of being lost in Newfoundland and Labrador just got a boost from Heritage NL.

Twenty new projects from all across the province that pair a learner with an experienced craftsperson have been given the green light by Heritage NL, the provincial agency that deals with historic places and living heritage. This adds to a set of partnerships established earlier in the year.

The Heritage NL Mentor-Apprentice Program is a one-on-one immersion program that provides funding up to $10,000 to support the teaching of endangered crafts and skills from an established mentor to an apprentice craftsperson or tradesperson.

“The traditional craft sector is an important part of our contemporary economy, especially in rural areas,” says folklorist Dale Jarvis, Executive Director of Heritage NL. “We are excited to support these tradition bearers and entrepreneurs in learning and promoting skills and crafts that otherwise might fade away.”

The participants will have up to a year to work together, teaching and learning a variety of skills including spruce root basket making, blacksmithing, coopering, and sealskin work. Applications for this pilot program are now closed. For more information about the Heritage NL Craft at Risk List or Mentor-Apprentice Program see heritagenl.ca/programs/craft-at-risk/.

This program is supported by the Labour Market Partnerships program, Department of Immigration, Skills and Labour, Government of Newfoundland and Labrador.

The approved mentor/apprentice projects are as follows:

Beadwork
Mentor Bonnie Miller, Norris Arm North, with apprentice Starlynn Shears-Osmond, Grand Falls-Windsor.

Blacksmithing
Mentor Ian Gillies, Conception Bay South, with apprentice Sarah MacAulay, Mount Pearl;
and
Mentor Dennis Flood, Change Islands, with apprentice Timothy Penton, Joe Batt’s Arm.

Coopering
Mentor Lester Cooper, Trinity, with apprentice Darren Hookey, Trinity.

Bodhran making (Irish frame drum)
Mentor Paddy Mackey, Flatrock, with apprentice Bryan Poirier, St. John’s.

Komatik building (winter sled with runners)
Mentor Adam Greening, Port Blandford, with apprentice Joey Efford, Port Blandford;
and
Mentor Walter Fowler, Capstan Island, with apprentice Peter Fowler, South Branch;
and
Mentor Alfred Winters, Happy Valley-Goose Bay, with apprentice David Chaulk and Francine Winters, Happy Valley-Goose Bay.

Letterpress printing
Mentor Duncan Major, St. John’s, with apprentice Katie Butler Major, St. John’s;
and
Mentor Jennifer Morgan, St. John’s, with apprentice Virginia Stoddard, Bay Bulls;
and
Mentor Marnie Parsons, Tors Cove, with apprentice Abigail Hann, Port Blandford.

Mi’kmaq style moccasins
Mentor Loretta John, Conne River, with apprentice Kevin Drew, Conne River.

Millinery
Mentor Charlotte Reid, St. John’s, with apprentice Erica Dawe, St. John’s.

Running birch brooms
Mentor Richard Park, Gillams, with apprentice Michelle Park, Corner Brook.

Sealskin work including slippers and mittens
Mentor Barb Rumbolt, Mary’s Harbour, with apprentice Niki Greeley, Mary’s Harbour.

Spruce root basket making
Mentor Eileen Murphy, Corner Brook, with apprentice Sandi Yates, Gillams.

Weaving skills
Mentor Morgaine Parnham, Bonavista, with apprentice Sylvie Mitford, Bonavista.

Window/Door Making
Mentor David Winsor, Broad Cove, with apprentice Ben Marx, St. John’s.

Wriggle fence building
Mentor Guy Barnable, Ferryland, with apprentice Eric Escudero, St. John’s;
and
Mentor Jody Chaulk, Bloomfield, with apprentice Gracie Russell, Lethbridge.


For more information or photos, contact:

Dale Jarvis
Heritage NL
dale@heritagenl.ca
https://heritagenl.ca/programs/craft-at-risk/ 

Stay tuned to Heritage NL's social media for updates on our Mentor-Apprentice program!

Photo submitted by Niki Greeley.
Niki is an apprentice in sealskin work including slippers and mittens. 

Tacking the skin on a bodhran drum. Photo submitted by Paddy Mackey.
Paddy is a mentor for instrument making, specifically bodhran drums. 

Ian Gillies with an anvil in Rendell's Forge in Heart's Content.
Ian is a blacksmith mentor.

Heritage NL Revitalization Grant - Pilot Project for community heritage projects involving Registered Heritage Structures

Heritage NL has redeveloped its restoration grant funding to better provide a suite of services to owners of Registered Heritage Structures. The Board is looking for projects that blend the restoration of a designated property with community planning workshops, architectural history research, and opportunities for transmission of traditional skills related to conservation of the site or the site’s history. The grant is intended to direct funding to projects that demonstrate community value as well as a need for material conservation. Project proposals in the $30,000 to $50,000 range will be considered, and successful projects will be funded on a 50/50 cost shared basis. In addition, grant recipients will work with Heritage NL staff to determine what other in-kind supports would benefit the project.


Example: The Salvage Fishermen’s Museum was approved for a grant for exterior restoration of the structure. In addition to the grant itself, Heritage NL worked with the local committee to: run a community People, Places, and Culture workshop; compile a comprehensive architectural history of the structure to aid in the conservation process; conduct research on family names and neighborhoods and develop a map; write a heritage report for the town with recommendations and suggestions for future work; teach a workshop on headstone digitization and facilitate a cemetery cleanup; assist with grant writing to help the museum hire a summer coordinator position; and work with the local committee to organize an official plaque unveiling ceremony at the end of their project.


Owners of any previously-designated Registered Heritage Structure may apply for restoration funding. An easement on the property must be in place to be eligible. Priority will be given to small to medium sized projects that:

• Clearly demonstrate broad community involvement and support;
• Will benefit from the provision of advice, research, and training from Heritage NL staff and the organization’s related training or Intangible Cultural Heritage programs;
• Are located in areas that have been under-represented in previous grant cycles, including Western and Central Newfoundland, and Labrador;
• Address or represent themes that have been under-represented in previous grant cycles, including Indigenous history, women’s history, and multi-ethnic heritage;
• Represent outstanding examples of the built heritage of the Modern/Industrial period or agricultural sites;
• Represent sites which include significant cultural landscapes as part of the designation.

Applications will be juried in a competitive process by the Board of Directors of Heritage NL. Funding is limited, and application does not guarantee funding. Approved grants are good for two years from the date of a signed Grant Contract agreement, and work must abide by the conditions of the Contract and follow the Standards and Guidelines for Conservation of Historic Places in Canada. Grants are paid following the successful completion of work and submission of a Final Project Report and all required documentation.


Deadline to apply: 27 May 2022

For application form visit https://heritagenl.ca/restoration/grants/ 

Historic Paint Colours of Newfoundland and Labrador Launch, April 28th

Heritage NL & Benjamin Moore Paint Shop Release Historic Paint Colours of Newfoundland and Labrador booklet.

Mount Pearl, NL (April 27, 2022) You are invited to attend a virtual launch of the Historic Paint Colours of Newfoundland and Labrador booklet.

Heritage Newfoundland and Labrador is proud to partner with the Benjamin Moore Paint Shop to present the Historic Paint Colours of Newfoundland and Labrador booklet. The Paint Shop is an NL company that has been in business for almost 50 years. With nearly 40 locations, the Paint Shop remains committed to growing in this province while continuing to expand into Atlantic Canada. Kerri Hodder, Marketing Manager with the Paint Shop, says, "This partnership with Heritage NL solidifies our commitment to being the keepers of the colours of Newfoundland and Labrador."

With locations in larger centres and some of our most historic communities like Twillingate and Bonavista, the Paint Shop was the natural choice to partner with for this booklet. 

Whether you are looking for Dorset Gold HC-8 to match your pop's dory buff or Watermelon Red 2087-20 to fit in on Jelly Bean Row, you'll find them all at the Paint Shop along with our Historic Paint Colours of Newfoundland and Labrador booklet.

The booklet will be launched via Zoom on Thursday, April 28th, 2022, at 3 pm.

Please click the link below to join the webinar:

https://tinyurl.com/HeritageNLPaint 

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For information, please contact;

Kerri Hodder, Marketing Manager, Paint Shop 

kerri.hodder@thepaintshop.ca

&

Andrea O'Brien, Outreach/Provincial Registrar, Heritage NL 

andrea@heritagenl.ca

 

From horrid dogs to dangerous youngsters: telling back lane tales in Harbour Grace

Row of headstones in the Bennett's Lane Roman Catholic Cemetery.
Bennett's Lane is visible in the background. Photo taken: February 2022

Harbour Grace, NL -  From horrid dogs and dangerous youngsters, to casket makers and compassionate doctors, the back lanes of Harbour Grace have seen it all. The old stories of the laneways are coming to light once more, with a little help from graduate students enrolled in Memorial University’s Department of Folklore.

The project is a cooperation between students of FOLK6740: Public Folklore, the Town of Harbour Grace, and course instructor Dale Jarvis of Heritage NL. The idea emerged from discussions following a 2018 Heritage NL People, Places, and Culture workshop in the community.  The storytelling project focuses on the historic laneways and paths that run between many of the buildings within and bordering the town's Registered Heritage District.

Students Than Brown, Roshni Caputo-Nimbark, Meaghan Collins, Emma Kwok, Denise McKeown, and Anna Reepschlager interviewed locals, conducted archival research to uncover hidden tales, and created a wiki to document their finds. 

“This research project uncovered some fascinating information from both historical sources and residents’ memories,” says Matthew McCarthy, Economic Development Officer with the Town of Harbour Grace. 

“These areas are such treasure troves of stories, past and present,” says McCarthy. “We think there’s great potential to reanimate these footpaths for both residents and visitors through thoughtful public infrastructure.”

One of the laneways documented in the project is Doctor’s Lane, named in honour of the many early doctors who lived in Harbour Grace. This included Dr. William Stirling, born in Harbour Grace, who eventually settled in Twillingate. He and his wife, Anne Peyton, had ten children, the youngest of whom became Newfoundland’s first opera singer, Georgina Ann Stirling, “The Nightingale of the North.”

The back lanes, while under-developed today, invite exploration. 

“Right now, we have some significant private investment coming to the area, with Yellowbelly’s restorations of the old Courthouse and Immaculate Conception Cathedral,” says McCarthy, “and this project is another important piece of the municipality’s long-term plan to revitalize the downtown Registered Heritage District. We’re excited with where things are headed.”

The students’ wiki page is viewable at:

https://en.wikiversity.org/wiki/Laneways_of_Harbour_Grace 

Job Posting for Built Heritage Intern with Heritage NL

Heritage NL is a non-profit organization that promotes the conservation and awareness of Newfoundland and Labrador's historic places and the safeguarding of its Intangible Cultural Heritage. 

Heritage NL is seeking a qualified individual for the position of Built Heritage Intern to undertake a number of projects that will support the various programs of the foundation. These will include the development of short research papers on historical subjects, the rewriting of descriptive texts on designated properties, and the documentation of Registered Heritage Structures through field study, archival research, and oral histories. Eligible candidates should have an undergraduate or graduate degree in a relevant field such as: history; archaeology, folklore; architecture; cultural geography; archaeology or other related field. Candidates must meet eligibility requirements under the YCW program and be a resident of Newfoundland and Labrador. The job will be situated at the Heritage NL offices in downtown St. John's.

$20/hr, full time, ending March 31, 2023

Deadline to apply April 25, 2022

Apply directly though the Young Canada Works portal:

https://young-canada-works.canada.ca/Opportunity/Project?projectId=15174 

Report released on Saving Traditional Skills on the Great Northern Peninsula

The Great Northern Peninsula Community Place Corporation and Heritage NL have been working together to make a list of people with traditional skills and know-how in the Tri-Town (Hawkes Bay, Port Saunders, and Port au Choix) area.

Local researcher Destiny Penney was hired to interview local crafters and seniors, and to compile a list of people in the region willing to share their skills. Her findings are summarized in a new report, released this week. 

The report features local knowledge-holders ranging from 85-year-old Edmund Alyward, a Port au Choix capelin net maker, to Hawkes Bay quiltmaker/sewer Josie Penney (shown above). 

"This will be an amazing resource for us to build on," says GNP Community Place Corporation's Joan Cranston. "I would like to identify people with traditional cooking skills as well, and traditional healing skills and knowledge."

The GNP Community Place is a community centre located on the main street of Port au Choix, NL. Overlooking the harbour, this community heritage building will offer a safe, accessible place for people from all over the Great Northern Peninsula to gather to participate in inter-generational health and wellness initiatives. It is run by a volunteer not-for-profit community corporation and operates as a social enterprise, offering space for programs to benefit the community while generating revenues to offset operating expenses

The full report can be downloaded in pdf format at: https://www.mun.ca/ich/resources/Saving_Traditional_Skills.pdf 

This project was jointly funded by Heritage NL and ICOMOS Canada’s Youth in Heritage Program.

Heritage NL announces updated funding program to help maintain Registered Heritage Structures

A cracked window or small leak in a roof might not seem like a big problem, but left unfixed, it can lead to major headaches for a homeowner. For owners of heritage properties, help is on the way to fix some of those small problems before they become big ones. 

Heritage NL has designated over 360 properties across the province as Registered Heritage Structures, a program which began in the early 1980s. Today, many of these iconic properties need some fixing-up. At a recent meeting of its Board of Directors, the organization agreed that the ongoing maintenance of heritage buildings is important, and needs to be a priority. 

“Deferred maintenance puts historic structures at risk of permanent damage or loss,” says Dr. Lisa Daly, Heritage NL Chair. “In the long run, the costs associated with regular maintenance of heritage features will be less than waiting to do large-scale repairs. On a practical level, it makes financial sense for Heritage NL to start addressing this now.”

In order to discourage deferring maintenance, and to encourage the continuous upkeep of designated properties, Heritage NL has streamlined and expanded their grant program. Structures designated by Heritage NL are now eligible to apply for a cost-shared grant of $3,000 every three years to assist with upkeep of exterior heritage features such as wooden windows, trim, and clapboard. 

The grant, while not large, is meant to help cover the gap between using less expensive repair options and proper restoration with the use of original materials.

Heritage NL has allocated a portion of its annual granting funds to cover this specific need, and owners of Registered Heritage Structures are encouraged to check the Heritage NL website for conditions and an application form. 

Heritage NL celebrates barking and bark tanning as Distinctive Cultural Traditions and Practices.

Barking pots in Twillingate, early to mid 1900s. From the Twillingate Museum.

For Immediate Release

St. John’s, NL
March 31, 2022

Join us virtually on Tuesday, April 5, 7:00 pm as Heritage NL, with the support of The Rooms, celebrates barking and bark tanning as the newest addition to the Provincial Historic Commemorations Program’s list of Distinctive Cultural Traditions and Practices. The celebration will happen via Zoom. To register in advance for this webinar visit here.

Administered by Heritage NL, the Provincial Historic Commemorations Program (PHCP) commemorates provincially significant aspects of our history and culture. It is unique in that it also recognizes intangible aspects of our culture and heritage – the customs, cultural practices, traditional skills and knowledge that define our province and our people. Since the Program's inception in 2010, 39 designations have been made, including the designation being recognized on April 5th. 

Joan Ritcey, chair of the Commemorations selection committee, says, "the Provincial Historic Commemorations Program is an important element for the recognition and appreciation of our past. By recognizing our cultural traditions and history we honour our heritage and pass it on to future generations."

The tradition of bark tanning and the use of bark mixtures has a long history in Newfoundland and Labrador. The old iron bark pot on the landwash was (and is) a reminder of our ancestors’ skills. Bark was used by Indigenous peoples and settlers alike for tanning hides, making fishing nets more durable, and colouring everything from sails to clothing. 

Today, the old tradition of barking is finding new life as craftspeople embrace this ancient technique. A representative from the Labrador Artisans Co-op and participants in Heritage NL’s Crafts at Risk Mentor/Apprentice Program will be joining us to discuss current barking projects. Follow this link to the official Commemoration listing .

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For Further Information Contact:

Andrea O’Brien
andrea@heritagenl.ca  
1-888-739-1892 ext 4

Living Heritage Podcast Ep217 Weaving Her Life Across Canada

Weaving and hooked rugs by Celeste Colbourne.

In this episode of the Living Heritage Podcast we talk with Celeste Colbourne about weaving including her interest and background with the craft, the process of weaving, and her experience weaving across Canada.

Celeste Colbourne in front of her loom in her home.

Celeste Colbourne is a weaver who was introduced to the intricacies of making yarn, threading a loom, and creating beautiful cloth 28 years ago in British Columbia. Over the years miles of handwoven cloth have been woven and sold in almost every province, and now she is home, weaving in Newfoundland.

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Living Heritage is about people who are engaged in the heritage and culture sector, from museum professionals and archivists, to tradition bearers and craftspeople - all those who keep history alive at the community level. The show is a partnership between HeritageNL and CHMR Radio.

Theme music is Rythme Gitan by Latché Swing.